You want to help your baby grow up to be as SUPER as they can be, but you're not an Amazonian and your lineage doesn't include Norse gods. What's a parent to do?
Luckily, your neighborhood super librarians Mary, Tanya, Lauren and Mollie are here to help with part of our presentation from Denver Comic Con 2018.
Superhero Qualities
First, let's take a look at what it takes to be a superhero. Unfortunately unlimited strength, an alien family tree, a radioactive spider bite or ultimate wealth aren't qualities available to everyone.
But we can talk about what traits are accessible to non-mutant human beings, why they're beneficial and how to instill them in your children.
Perseverance: The art of not giving up.
- The villain doesn't always go down on the first try. A superhero has to be willing to get up and try something new in order to win the day!
- Take a look at our list of resources to help your child manage their frustration.
Perspective and Empathy: How would you feel in someone else's shoes?
- Heroes need to know what fear, hurt, anger and sadness look like in order to know when to save the day.
- Play dress up and talk about facial expressions.
Bravery: Doing the right thing in the face of danger.
- It takes courage to fly where no one else dares to go. Bravery is when you can put aside your fear and take action anyway.
- Part of building bravery is boosting their self-esteem and confirming they are a good person. Make time to recognize when your child is going above and beyond, especially at their own expense.
Creativity: What else could I try?
- A hero needs to be able to think on the fly. They never know when they'll need to MacGyver a toothbrush with an alarm clock to escape a villain's lair.
- Check out Creativity Catapult, opens a new window and do what a child is best at: play!
Self-Control: I really want to Hulk out, but I'm holding a kitten.
- It's tempting to use superpowers for evil and not good. The Flash could easily steal all the money in a bank in the blink of an eye, but he doesn't because he knows that's wrong.
- Play games like freeze tag or sing "Sleeping Bunnies", opens a new window.
Compassion and Kindness: All people, even criminals, deserve to be treated fairly.
- Compassion and kindness change the way kids feel about themselves. They feel encouraged to stand up to inequality and injustice.
- Check out some books to help kids learn to Be Kind. Then, point out kindness and compassion when you see them happen, especially if your child is the one performing the deed.
What would you add to this list? How do you encourage your child to be super?
Books for Superkids
Want more? Check out this list:
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